Utilities to FCC: Don’t mess with our spectrum

The Utilities Technology Council, a trade group representing hundreds of US utility companies, is urging federal agencies to make sure that power and electricity providers retain control of interference-free spectrum so they can continue to operate their own private wireless networks. Utilities Technology Council noted that part of the reason utilities need their own licensed spectrum is because “utilities have built out and maintained their own ICT networks, rather than outsourcing service from commercial telecommunications carriers. Utilities require high levels of reliability that traditional telecommunications carriers are unable or unwilling to provide.” As a result, the Utilities Technology Council is advocating for utilities to obtain more spectrum where necessary, and for the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies to ensure that spectrum currently used by utilities is protected from interference. And the Utilities Technology Council wants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to work more closely with the FCC to ensure that utilities get access to the spectrum they need.